Devotion Till the End
by Take Your Sweet Time
Summary: Annabeth and Percy had just survived Tartarus and both are struggling from the transition from a once dark place to a bright. Nico who experienced this helps them to rely on each other so they get over their struggles. Annabeth and Percy's relationship becomes more deeper than before that they're devoted till the end.


I know I haven't updated my other stories in a long time but I've been busy and I'll update them tomorrow or Monday. I hope you like this.

* * *

**Devotion Till the End**

**"Loyalty and devotion lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice. The spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust in the power of love."**

**~Morihei Ueshiba**

Annabeth stood at the deck of the _Argo II _as she enjoyed the view of the sun slowly descending down to the earth. Frankly, Annabeth wished that Apollo wasn't taking away the sun from her because she was enjoying the sun very much, even though she was probably going to need glasses from the long time she stared at the sun. The scene before her looked like one of the portraits that can be seen in an art museum with its blue layered sky slowly turning into a bright orange, while the sun was setting down into the ocean where its reflection could be seen. She breathed in the salty scent of the ocean's water that filled her nostrils.

"I wish it wouldn't end," she wistfully said to herself. She once took the sun for granted, but that was before she fell into the hole and to Tartarus with Percy.

Percy.

Ever since they survived Tartarus, Percy has became distant, and Annabeth didn't knew why. She half-expected him to pull her into his arms and share a passionate kiss, but that was the opposite from what she expected. When they made it out of Tartarus using some of the string Annabeth had in her bag and weaved it and tied it around a Stymphalian birds' neck, where it was sent by Hades him because Demeter didn't want them anymore because they were ruining the crops on the land, the first thing Percy gave her was a hug and a kiss on the forehead. Annabeth's heart broke when she saw those usual playful sea-green eyes were now filled with sadness, which reminded her of Nico.

As if summoned, Nico slowly walked behind her, his feet were making low thumps against the wood floors. Eventually, Nico was at her side with his hands on the rail of the ship. His face had more color but still pale, Annabeth noticed when she last saw him before she fell into Tartarus.

From how nervous Nico was, he twirled the ring around his middle finger.

"How are you feeling?" Nico was the one who spoke first.

"Fine," she lied to him.

"You think you can lie me, Annabeth? I know you're lying to me. You're not the only one that can detect liars," Nico chided her.

Annabeth clenched her jaw and turned to look at him to give him a piece of her mind, but she stopped herself. She saw Nico's dark glassy eyes, his pale skin, and his dark hair that look dark brown by the lighting. Nico looked much more…more…mature, but he still had that broken spirit.

"I see you look better," she commented him.

He suspiciously raised his left eyebrow and unsurely said, "Thank you?"

"You're welcome."

"Nice try." He grinned but returned to his frown. "I know you're enjoying the sun because you've seen only darkness since you're departure."

"How come you're here?"

"I was forced to. Everyone inside believed that I can relate to you more based on the experience you experienced, and also add in the fact that I've known you longer than anyone on the ship, minus Percy."

She scrunched her eyebrows and said, "How is—"

"Percy is fine. He's having a bit of a struggle settling, but he's fine," he interrupted. "Sorry that I interrupted. I knew you were going to eventually ask about him," he quickly apologized.

"Oh." She wished Percy was here and not Nico.

"He took on the harder job to comfort you when you were in Tartarus, so you have to understand him." What Nico said wasn't a lie. It was true. Percy comforted her when they were in Tartarus, but she did the same thing in return.

That was when she looked at him in the eyes. She half-expected him to turn away and blush like he always did, but he surprisingly stared back at her with a half-cold and half-mad expression. She thought Nico had a crush on her, but she considered that fact that she may be wrong, but she wasn't going to admit to that out loud.

"I know." She breathed out a sigh.

"You saw what I saw?" he asked her.

Annabeth shut her eyes and tried to push away the memories. She saw monsters. She saw creatures that she has never seen before. She fought Titan gods alongside Percy because they wanted to prevent Annabeth and Percy from leaving Tartarus.

With her eyes still shut, she bit her bottom lip and nodded her head. "Yeah," she managed to say without her voice cracking.

"So you understand that realm as much as I did," Nico said.

"It's horrible. It's cold." Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around herself as she felt a cold air touching her warm skin.

"Yeah," he agreed. "But you had someone while I didn't."

Annabeth gave him a puzzled look as she pondered on what he meant. _But you had someone while I didn't, _she thought of his words. The pieces fell into place, and she said, "You have—"

"Camp?" he questioned. "I have Hazel now, but it still stings when I think about Bianca." He shrugged.

"I know you still blame—" Annabeth was surprised to hear the word "Bianca" had escaped his lips.

"I don't blame him," Nico said coldly as he stomped his foot against the wood floor out of frustration. "I learned that I shouldn't blame him and that it was already written in Bianca's fate. I learned to accept that, and I'm trying to forget the grudge I have against Percy. Yes I find myself thinking about her, but I don't know how to explain it."

She examined his aggressive behavior and decided not to say add anything else to the fire than what was already in.

"I'm aware of that," she answered him. "Percy has always been there for you," she added.

"I know, but I've always found a way to abuse of that trust and to somehow lead him into a trap. He trusts you. It's a fatal flaw, but you hardly ever see that in people now a days," Nico wisely said. "Woah," he caught himself, "I sound so deep. Well," he rubbed the back of his head, "when you're in a jar for a long time, you tend to think about life," he nervously answered.

"You think I should talk to Percy?" she asked him. If anyone would've told Annabeth a year ago that she would be asking Nico di Angelo advice, she probably would've laughed and shrugged it off.

"Depends," Nico said with a shrug and slowly began to leave.

"Nico," Annabeth said and turned to face him.

"Yes?" He turned as well.

"Thanks," she awkwardly said to him.

"You would've done the same thing."

"If I was forced to."

Nico laughed.

* * *

Percy sat alone in his room as he looked at the ocean through the his window. The sun had fallen and the moon was high up in the night sky with its reflection against the dark blue ocean. He felt calm as he sat on a chair with his elbows on the window.

He was drained both physically and emotionally. He was tired of beating up monsters in Tartarus. He was tired of trying to keep himself sane while keeping Annabeth as well.

He breathed out a sigh as he bowed down his head. Those sea-green eyes of his were closed as he concentrated on the soothing sounds of the waves. The waves caused him not to become a crazy madmen—but an anchor.

He heard a knock on the door and lifted his head and turned to see Nico leaning against the opened doorway with his white pale knuckles, from his right hand, against the door.

"Hi," he managed to squeak out.

"Hey," Percy answered.

"Can I come in?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Sure."

Nico nodded and closed the door behind him and sat on the corner of Percy's messy bed. He pursed his lips together and nodded his head to himself.

"Is there something wrong?" Percy asked, concerned. Yeah Nico irritated Percy at times, but he still cared for him as if he was his brother.

Nico paused and looked at Percy as he said, "Shouldn't I be asking you the same thing?"

"I'm fine." Percy shrugged his shoulders.

Nico snorted and darkly laughed. "I did the same expression and told Hazel the same thing when she asked me if I'm okay."

"Just to show a way that we're alike." He smiled.

Nico joined Percy in the smile they shared, but he quickly returned to his serious demeanor. "Are you really okay?"

"I said I'm fine." Percy gave a tight smile and now wanted to be left alone.

"Let's do something Bianca would've done."

Percy froze. He didn't expect Nico to bring up Bianca, especially in that easy tone he did. "Like what?" he suspiciously asked. They were trying to have a better relationship with one another, but Percy wasn't going to completely trust him yet.

"Mythomagic cards." From his jacket, Nico pulled out cards and figurines.

"Why would Bianca done something like this?" Percy got up from his chair and walked to his bed and to Nico.

"We would bet."

Percy frowned. "I'm broke."

"Not money," he scolded.

"Then?"

"Your soul," Nico darkly said. Percy gave him a confused face expression, until Nico began to laugh his heart out. "You should've seen your face," he managed to say.

"Seriously."

"Simple: if I win you have to tell me what's really going on, and if you win I'll shut up."

"I barely know how to play," Percy tried to reason.

"Chicken," Nico muttered under his breath as he began to gather his things and walked out of the room.

Percy looked at the door and called out, "Nico!"

"I'm coming," he said. Without a second passing by, Nico appeared at the doorway and made his way back to the corner of his bed, and he sat at the corner of the bed.

"You already knew I was gonna—" Percy began.

"Let's begin," Nico cheerfully said. Percy looked at him and saw that Nico had a spark in his eyes that he hasn't seen in a while; he didn't want to burst kid's bubble.

"Sure," he agreed, wanting Nico to still have that spark in his eyes. He grabbed his cards and prepared to lose.

The game was fairly simply, but with Percy's short attention spam, it was complicated. Each player would each put out a card and the card's figurine would come to life and battle the opponent's figurine. During the battle, the player can call out commands that their figurine can use in order to win.

After Nico and Percy equally divided their cards, the game began. The cards Percy had were Athena, manticore, Aphrodite, Ares, Zeus, and other cards. Nico had Kronos, Medusa, Cyclops, Hera, Cupid, Dionysus, and other cards.

Percy knew he had an advantage because he chose his cards wisely with each god, monster, and hero to fit in all the categories he could think of.

Nico knew Percy had an advantage, but playing cards was Nico's realm and not Percy's.

Percy laid down his manticore card, and the golden figurine came alive.

You make this too easy, Nico mentally complained. He laid down his Hercules card and the action begun.

Hercules circled the manticore as Nico carefully decided when and where to strike.

"Charge!" Percy ordered. The beast charged Hercules with its hooves down to but him in the chest.

"Deflect," Nico said. Hercules faced the beast as he grabbed its hooves and back flipped him to the floor.

Percy felt his heart beginning to thump in his chest. He had to think fast. "Athena!" He laid down his Athena card and it came to life.

"Knowledge," Percy said. The manticore and Athena locked eyes, beady ones against golden ones, and a message crossed them; the manticore charged Hercules.

"Ares!" Nico frantically said. Ares came to life and drew his sword from his belt. His eyes were crimson red—like blood. Hercules did the same thing and charged the manticore. Hercules stabbed the beast from the front as Ares unexpectedly stabbed the beast down its spine.

Athena transformed into an owl and knocked the swords from Ares' hands. She transformed back to her regular form and kicked him in the jaw.

"Yeah!" Percy cheered on.

Nico puffed out a sigh and said, "Kronos."

"What?" Percy asked, shocked.

Kronos came to life and attacked Athena and manticore. With the manticore, Kronos killed it by piercing the beast with his scythe in the belly. With Athena, he shielded her eyes with darkness.

"Destroy," Nico ordered. By his orders, Kronos killed Athena. Round one was finished, and Nico won.

"Yes!" He fist pumped the air and laughed in victory. He quickly piped down and gave Percy a serious look. "I think I rightfully deserve an explanation."

Percy was hoping that that conversation wasn't going to come up, but he knew he couldn't afford it. "I thought it can be up to three cards for a round!" he complained.

"But if the two first cards are killed, then the opponent wins," Nico countered.

"But I can still fight with the other card," he reasoned.

"My three cards were still good and they would've kicked whatever card you would've put out butt's," Nico said.

Percy pouted, defeated. "Fine."

"Continue." Percy knew exactly what Nico was referring to.

"I'm fine," he insisted.

"A deal is a deal," Nico muttered, but enough to be heard by Percy.

He was surprised that Nico was persistent about how he felt and it showed that he cared for him. Even though Percy will never fully trust Nico, he still trusted him.

"It's been hard," he said, truthfully.

"You still think about it?" Nico gave him an intense stare that felt like he was burned him alive.

"Yeah." He cleared his throat.

"You should've been outside breathing in the air and not inside being cooped up in your room."

"I expect me telling you this, not you telling me."

"Hazel forced me to go outside. Do you want Hazel to drag you outside to breathe air because she will?" He threatened.

Percy laughed. "No, I'm good."

"I thought so." A small smile appeared.

"Everyone is worried."

"Did they force you to come?"

"I voluntarily came. Everyone else was saying that Jason should've come, but I've known him long enough to know that his Roman side can't handle depression."

"Depression?" Percy didn't knew if he should laugh or be mad at the kid who thought he had "depression".

"You're sad. I'm considered the loner."

"Nico, you are not—"

"Don't finish that sentence," he cautiously warned. He gave Percy a stern cautious stare and then softened.

"I came because I care," Nico began in a soft voice, "but I was forced to talk to Annabeth." That caused Percy to laugh. Knowing Annabeth, Percy had a good idea on how strong-headed his girlfriend was sometimes.

"How did that go?" Percy was amused.

"It went good, even though she tried changing the topic."

Percy looked out the window and saw that it was pitch black outside. "It's late."

"Should I go? I'm tired of being Dr. Phil for today," Nico confessed.

"Sure." Percy chuckled.

Nico stood up and slowly walked to the doorway and paused. He placed his right hand against the doorway, and he said, "Good night, Percy."

"G'night, Nico." Nico nodded and slowly began to walk out of Percy's sight until he called him again, "Nico."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for checking by."

"You would've done the same thing."

Percy didn't doubted that for one bit.

* * *

Annabeth breathed out a sigh of frustration once she entered his room and found him asleep. She should've came earlier but she didn't have the strength.

She saw Percy's sleeping body, and her heart fluttered like a thousand miles. Percy looked like an infant that was sound asleep with his dark blue blanket that covered him. His jet black hair was messy and slightly curled up at the tip.

She walked to the window and saw the nightsky. The moon shined against the dark blue of the ocean.

Without her noticing, Percy peeped open his eyes and saw Annabeth. She leaned against the window as Percy saw the way the light entered her gray eyes. Her eyes looked broken, like his, but they weren't that bad as before. Her blonde hair still looked lifeless and dull, but there was something about how her hair was styled that still made his heart flutter like when he first realized he liked her. She wore washed blue jeans, a slightly baggy Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, and her hair was tied into a ponytail. Annabeth looked like the same Annabeth he first met when he opened his eyes for the first time at camp and when she nursed him.

"Hey," he quietly said.

Annabeth was startled since she slightly jumped with her gray eyes wide opened as she stared at him. "Hi," she said, after she calmed down.

"How are you feeling?" He sat up and leaned his back against the wall as he still sat on his bed.

"More or less," she confessed. "How about you?" She joined him as she sat on his bed and leaned against the wall as well.

"Same." He entwined his hands between hers.

"Oh."

"I just don't want to fight that many monsters anymore," he joked. Annabeth smiled.

"At least we made it." She leaned her head against her boyfriend's shoulder.

"True," he agreed.

"We'll get through it," she assured him. They both knew what Annabeth meant: the trauma they went through while in Tartarus.

"We're a team."

"Always."

They both smiled at each other and knew that their deep relationship with one another went to a more deeper level.

* * *

Nico woke up the following morning and felt nauseous. He started to think that the cause of his nausea was due to him spending way to much on the _Argo II._ The sea was Poseidon's territory, not Hades'.

He sat up from his bed made of black quilts and pillows with skeleton's designed on them. Across from his bed, he saw Hazel's sleeping form. Her spongy brown hair was all over the place. Her thick lips were slight opened as she breathed in or puffed out air.

Nico grew sadder the longer he stared at Hazel. Since he came back from Tartarus, Hazel was a rock for him, and for her, he was her rock. He realized how much he had to look out for her. It wasn't a burden for him, but for his older sister it was.

He remembered on how his sister sometimes complained about babysitting Nico when they were still at the Lotus Hotel. Bianca sometimes said that she was glad to babysit him, which was extremely rare.

Hazel turned to face the wall, and Nico saw her body rose and downwards when she breathed. A real smile erupted his lips.

He quietly got dressed, because he didn't want Hazel to see him, and walked out of the room. He passed by Annabeth's room and paused. He considered talking to Annabeth for a while, but he then decided against it. He continued his way and paused at Percy's room. He had no hesitation and opened the door.

There he saw Percy and Annabeth together, their hands still entwined with one another's. They both faced each other when they slept. Percy used his right arm as a pillow as Annabeth used her left; there opposite hands were loosely entwined with one another's. The dark blue blanket was draped over their sleeping bodies.

He tried not to laugh when he saw Percy's mouth open as drool escaped his lips.

Nico grabbed the doorknob and closed the door.

* * *

**15 Years Later…**

Annabeth and Percy sat on their front porch as they watched their kids, Zoë Calypso Jackson and Theseus Lukenian Jackson. Both of the children had sea-green eyes but their hair color was what set them apart: Zoë had dark brown hair, Theseus had jet-black hair.

Theseus and Zoë ran around as Percy controlled the water from the sprinklers to throw it at them.

Percy turned to Annabeth and saw those smiles that he hardly saw anymore. Annabeth noticed someone staring at her and turned to Percy who was the one staring at her.

"Having a nice view?" She teased him. He saw the crow lines that formed at the sides of her gray eyes, the gray roots that he had to lie to numerous of times that he didn't see, and that pearly white smile of hers.

"Yep," he emphasized the 'p' sound.

"You're not bad yourself." She laughed.

"I'm worse." Percy still had his jet-black hair, sea-green eyes, he still looked fit, but he now had small wrinkles and stubble on his chin.

"Not according to Zoë's teacher." Percy frowned. He wrapped his arms around Annabeth and pulled her closer to him from the couch they had on the porch.

The outside of the house was painted white from the outside, had a wide porch, and a large front yard with bushes of different flowers. On the inside of the house, the house was two stories high, 5 bedrooms, white-painted walls where family portraits hung, a spacious living room where family night was often held, and a black-and-white kitchen where disasters were produced.

"I would still want you," he confessed to her.

"I know." She pecked him on the lips. Her lips were left with tingling sensation that has never disappeared even after their 10 years of marriage.

She remembered how much comfort he brought her when she sometimes woke up crying in the middle of the night as she dreamt about her time in Tartarus; she was still scared of that place after all those years. She still felt the cold air. She still heard those piercing screams when she was alone at the house.

To her friends, they thought she passed the trauma about Tartarus but that was not the case.

Percy and Nico knew that she was still struggling with it. Percy knew because he was her husband. Nico knew because he still struggled with it sometimes since he occasionally visited Hades.

Percy still had his problems but he was more able to keep them in check. He thought about Tartarus at times, but not as much as he used to. Slowly, it was all becoming a dark memory to him, and he was glad for that.

"Good evening," Nico greeted. Percy and Annabeth jumped from how startled they were. Nico stood at the steps of the porch with Lou Ellen holding his arms.

Lou Ellen had long mousy brown hair that was tied into a tight bun, blue eyes, and full pink lips that always had a smile upon them. She wore a black sleeveless dress that went to her knees, a lace cardigan, black flats, and a black handbag.

To everyone who knew Lou Ellen, she seemed different from the once very cheerful girl to a now more mature one. Yes she was still cheerful, but with a more serious tone to her.

Everyone was surprised when they found out they were dating because Lou Ellen was the happy one and Nico was the sad 'little thing' many talked about.

According to Nico, Lou Ellen wasn't the girl everyone thought and had issues that she didn't want others to see. They worked well with one another because they provided what the other one needed—love.

"Hi," Lou Ellen greeted, waving a hello.

"Hey," Percy greeted back.

"Come sit," Annabeth said. Nico and Lou Ellen walked up the porch and sat in the couch where Percy and Annabeth made room for.

"How are you two?" Nico asked.

"Great," Annabeth answered.

"The children?" Lou Ellen asked.

"The same." Percy smiled. Lou Ellen smiled in returned and turned her attention to the two toddlers that were a only mere old apart from one another.

"They look like they're having fun," Lou Ellen added.

"They are. Percy is throwing water at them from the sprinklers and they haven't stopped laughing and giggling since then," Annabeth said.

"Can I join them?" Lou Ellen asked.

"I guess," Percy said. He wasn't sure how his neighbors were going to react by a pretty woman all dressed up was going to get wet with his kids.

Lou Ellen gave Nico a look which Nico nodded. She gave him her handbag and flats and ran off the porch and into the front yard where she joined Zoë and Theseus.

"She seems like a five-year-old kid, doesn't she?" Nico asked.

"She sure does," Percy said.

"How are you guys actually feeling?" Nico asked them.

"It's been okay," Annabeth confessed to him.

"Yeah," Percy seconded.

"Good," said Nico.

"How about you?" asked Annabeth.

"It's fine," he said.

"Does Lou help you?" Percy teased.

Nico's pale face turned rosy pink. "You have no idea how much help she has been."

"But you've done the same thing in return," Percy said.

"Yeah," Nico said. "But it doesn't get easy."

"True," Percy and Annabeth said.

"You guys have each other," Nico said.

"And you now have Lou Ellen," Annabeth said. Nico smiled.

"Yeah, I really do." He glanced at Lou Ellen who was carrying Theseus in her arms as Zoë ran after him. Nico's eyes softened as he showed pure affection towards Lou Ellen.

"You can't catch me, Squirtle," Lou Ellen told Zoë who laughed.

"She's a very devoted person," Nico said.

"Just like one person I know," Percy said as he hugged Annabeth tighter.

Annabeth laughed as she looked at her husband. They had their arguments, their insults, and their jealously, but they were devoted to each other. They both knew that that devotion was going to last until the end.

* * *

**Did you like it? How was the grammar? Is it good enough for a review?**

**I out in Lou Ellen because even though I see her as a happy girl, I feel like she has something behind that. I didn't want Nico to end up alone is another reason he was paired with her!**

**Anyways, I'm considering on getting a beta. Are you up for the job? PM me if you want to beta me, and I'll consider you.**


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